Earl's
Palace

Alliance,
religion, bribery, intrigue, treason, murder - ingredients of power
struggle and misrule in the Europe of the Reformation - did, indeed,
bring suffering to Orcadians. Around 1565, Robert Stewart, illegitimate
son of James V, was granted rule of Orkney (and Shetland) by Mary,
Queen of Scots; recognition of
the grants did not go unchallenged. Earl Robert spent most of his
time on Orkney building his power base. While his forces occupied
the castle in Kirkwall and later in Westray, his main residence
would have been his Palace in Birsay, built c.1574.

Now
only a picturesque ruin, descriptions and inventories of the time
testify to the sumptuous quarters that the palace provided. One can
imagine the colour and pageantry of the Earl's residence, and also
the pain and hardship wrought by an unjust Ruler.

Maintained
by Historic Scotland. Open at all times (no fee)

St
Magnus Church, Birsay

"The
other St Magnus"

St
Magnus Church, Birsay stands on the site of
a much older church, in existence long before St Magnus Cathedral
in Kirkwall. It is now accepted that St Magnus Church stands at least
partly on the site of the original Christchurch built by Earl Thorfinn
c. 1064. Thus the site has been in continuous use a place of worship
for over 900 years, first as dyrligt musteri(a splendid minster)
and then as the parish church. Joseph Anderson, who edited The
Orkneyinga Saga,in
1873, assures us that this church was still referred to by the local
people as 'the Christ's Kirk'.

After
the murder of Magnus Erlendson in Egilsay, c. 1116, his body was brought
to Thorfinn's Christchurch for burial. Soon there were stories of
'heavenly lights and a strange fragrance' surrounding his grave. This
was followed by many pilgrimages and stories of visions and miracles.
Twenty years after his death, Magnus' body was exhumed and his bones
were placed in a shrine above the high altar in Christchurch. He was
officially declared a saint, but times were changing. A large cathedral
was built in Kirkwall to venerate the new saint and his bones were
taken and interred there. The little church in Birsay was no longer
the most important church in the Earldom.

Christchurch
continued to serve the people of Birsay. In 1664 it was re-built as
a cruciform church (shown in a 17th century drawing of the Earl's
Palace which is reproduced on p.83 in Exploring Scotland's Heritage
- Orkney and Shetland- Anna Ritchie, HMSO 1985). The church was
again re-built in 1760 as a simple rectangular church, and in 1867 enlarged
and restored. While the building was being restored in the 1980's
the stonework clearly showed the different phases of construction.
Huge blocks of red sandstone formed the foundations at the south-east
end of the church, an indication that this had been the site of a
very important medieval church.

In
1875 a larger church was built in the parish at Twatt. However, the
former Christchurch (now called St Magnus) continued to be a regular
place of worship. In 1996 the Church of Scotland recognised that they
could no longer support both the Twatt church and St Magnus Church.
Thus, St Magnus Church was scheduled for closure. A Trust was formed
and an historic step was taken. The Church of Scotland handed over
the church to the Trust, who now have the responsibility of maintaining
the church.

The
rebuilt church incorporates some features of the earlier structures,
including the 17th century belfry and a 13th century lancet window.
In the base of this window is a broken lintel with the inscription
' S BELLUS'. The first part of the inscription 'MON(S)' is built
into the window surround of the farm to the north of the church. This
must have come from the residence of the 16th century bishops of Orkney,
MONS BELLUS, which is known to have been nearby.

When
the floor of the church was taken up during alterations in the early
1900s, two very old gravestones were found. One is now beside the
pulpit. The inscriptions are now illegible, but there is a rough coat-of-arms
and the date 1645. The other stone stands in the vestibule. The stained
glass window installed shortly after 1900 was designed by Mrs. McPherson,
wife of the minister, and made by Alex Strachan, whose brother designed
and made one of the windows for St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall.

In
the walled churchyard can be found numerous interesting gravestones,
particularly the recumbent ones to the left as you enter the church.
The inscriptions on each of the gravestones are given a placement
number so that they are easily located. It is interesting that each
district of the parish seems to have been allotted a section of the
graveyard, and the layout roughly follows the configuration of the
parish, so that the Southside and Marwick families are buried on the
south side of the church and families from the Northside are mainly
buried on the north side.

The
St Magnus Church Birsay Trust supports the fabric of the church through
donations and the sale of jewellery specially designed and made for
them by Orkneyinga Silversmiths.

The
church is open to view every day (year round). A key to the church
can be obtained from the shop in the village. We invite you to come
to the village called The Palace and enjoy the serenity of this historic
church adjacent to the sea. When you leave, we hope that you will
take with you a sense of the importance Birsay held as a 'capital
of the Vikings'.

Brough
of Birsay

For
centuries, political and religious power radiated from this small
scenic tidal island and the adjacent bay shore. Influence was at its
height during the reign of Thorfinn the Mighty (1014-1065) when this
Earl of Orkney's rule extended from Shetland down the west coast of
Scotland to parts of Ireland. Thorfinn's main residence was in Birsay
according to the Sagas, and the remains of elaborate buildings on
the Brough of Birsay are thought to be Thorfinn's headquarters. At
this time, the first Bishop of Orkney was appointed and his cathedral
was probably on the site of the present St Magnus Church, according
to recent scholarship.

On
the Brough there are remains of a fine Romanesque church and ecclesiastical
buildings - probably a monastery associated with the Bishop's See.
Interestingly enough, this church is built on the remains of a Pictish
church some 300 years older - before Christianity was wiped out by
the Vikings in the eighth century. The famous, but enigmatic symbol
stone found in the earlier graveyard on the Brough shows Pictish symbols
and three warriors - noblemen. Was their capital here also? Historic
Scotland maintains a small site museum on the Brough, only a short
walk at low tide from the Point of Buckquoy.

Click
Mill

This
is the last working example of a horizontal water-mill left in Orkney.
The 'click mill' was so named because of the sound it made whilst
running, and it is the most primitive type of water-powered mill known
in Britain. It is a simple, mechanised version of the hand quern, and is turned
by the water acting on a wooden wheel or 'tirl', which is connected
directly to the topmost of the two stones